Just a Simple Repairman
by xAgentsheepx
Summary: In the minuscule amount of time I have been here, I have come realize two very specific things. One: These androids were absolutely obsessed with humans. Two: No way in hell am I telling them that there's one standing right before them.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**AN: Hey a new story!**

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 **(Prologue)**

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[Warning: FFG201 Second Ark Stasis Compound suffering loss of power – prioritization code V5/3/S117]

[Contacting Cyster Command…]

…

[Failed]

[Last Contact with Cyster Command: Unknown]

[Date (Disabled: true): Unknown]

[Power Fluctuations Detected: Sector 2/3/4]

[Protocol R-45: Self Repair Required]

[Pod B-23: Green]

[Query: Reactivate?]

[Confirmed: Reactivation Initiated]

/-/

By the time my eyes could finally open, the cold had long since left my body and was replaced with the now warming air. My first action when I found the large plate of glass with the ice slowly receding from the thawing insides. My vision was blurred, and I was unprepared for the sudden coughing and spurting of bile out into the air. Jerking forwards, my head collided with the a solid surface before me and my hands shot forwards in reaction, smacking roughly against the glass. Cool to the touch.

"Recommendation: Occupant, please refrain from damaging Stasis Pod 23 of Sector B," a machine like voice rang out from the speakers built into the top of the metal pod. I growled at the slightly calming but still inhuman voice.

"Just the shock, BT," I mumbled at the artificial intelligence. Its real designation was a rather long string of numbers and letters, resulting in its dubbing of simply _BT_. While I couldn't care less, most liked to refer to BT as a him rather than it. "If you could, I'd appreciate you getting out of this thing."

"Thawing incomplete, please use this time to brief on current situation," the speakers sputtered and I groaned again. The metal pod was made of a rather dull shade of light grey with black and red lining running along the edges. The black cushion which held me was nowhere near as soft as I remembered it. Maybe it had hardened from age? Or possibly it was just still frozen on the inside.

"Give me the situation then," I breathed, no longer struggling to see. My hands continued to press against the cool glass while I took in the view of another pod directly across from me. I could not see the occupant through the icing which layered the inside.

"Power fluctuations detected throughout Sectors Two, Three and Four. Failure to contact Cyster Command has forced Protocol R-4556 into action. If you require a refresher on Protocol R-45-"

"I know what that is, BT."

"Understood. Thawing sequence completed. Welcome back R5," BT replied. I scowled at his use of my designation and not my name, but decided not to bother. The loud hiss and the popping sound of the depressurization left me slightly out of breath from the sudden air whip I received. Gasping, I tumbled out onto the cold steel floor while mist fumed out of the pod. "Recommendation: Several hours of rest before returning to active duty are fundamental in regaining full body strength."

"I can barely feel my legs, BT! How long was I out?!" I hissed, pushing myself onto my back so I was in a more comfortable position on the floor. The numbness was just a pulsating blur running through my limbs. Fortunately for me, I was too numb to feel how cold the metal really was on my bare skin.

"Unknown, internal clock has been disabled."

" _What?"_

"Internal clock has been disabled by direct order of Director Haslet," BT repeated annoyingly. I decided that I could deal with whatever mess Director Haslet made before putting the entire compound into stasis later. For now, I remained still on the floor while I let the blood return to my legs.

Glancing to the side, I admired the long hall lined with long metal pods with a glass lid. Out of all these people, of course I'd be the one to be dragged out of my beauty sleep. I suppose being the best repairman had the pros and cons. The internal lights of the hall were rather dim, likely activated once I was brought back or rather it was due to the possible energy issue that I was supposed to deal with.

"BT, give me a status on the compound."

"Sectors Two, Three, and Four are currently suffering from power fluctuations," he stated, failing to provide info I did not already know.

"Has anyone ever told you how useless you are?"

"Recordings can be retrieved of Sergeant Anderson, Private Lewinsky and Director Haslet stating similar phrases."

"Funny," I muttered before propping myself up with my elbows. My body ached and I was already feeling the hunger pains wrack my body. The stomach growls would start soon once my body fully registered how badly it needed nutrients. "What else besides that?"

"All other sectors are currently running at full capacity. All other four hundred and ninety-nine stasis pod occupants show healthy vital signatures. Storages have not been tampered with. Food stocks are currently able to sustain population for three years. Ammunitions supplies are currently nominal. Medical supplies are out-dated but stocked. No reported breeches from the surface detected," BT finally listed off while I took in the info. So everything had gone perfect until now. Everyone was still in stasis, no one had _died_ heaven forbid, and all I had to do was repair some power circuits or something and I'd be back in my pod, waking up with everyone else together hopefully when the required specifications were detected from the outside world.

For now, I was alone and I had to fix something.

"BT, bullshit on that food supply lasting us for that long," I muttered while pushing myself up from the floor. Wobbling slightly, I began stepping towards the nearby exit which led into a dimly lit white hallway where a large rack of preserved towels was waiting for me. I didn't really realize I was nude until I saw them.

"This unit does not understand," the speaker built into the ceiling stated.

"No one but the Director would eat those damned rations for three years," I replied, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around my waste. I wobbled over to the doorway where I found a large scanner built into the side. Pressing my rather… wet hand to it, a green light lit up and ran down the screen.

[Identification Confirmed]

The door slid open for me and I pushed myself through into the locker room. It was, just like every else in the entire compound, tiled with bright white plates which gave off a rather sci-fi sort of feeling. The walls were lined with six foot tall lockers which ranged the entire room. There were several benches which were bolted into the ground and I saw a sign which pointed towards the shower room in the back.

"BT, where's my gear?"

"Civilian attire is located in Locker 0233. Your equipment is currently stored within the Armory locker room," BT replied. Walking down the room with my hand running across each number plate, I quickly found my locker and removed the contents from within. A few minutes later with a few struggled groans from my sore body, I was wearing a rather simple pair of jeans and a thin white shirt with a simple logo stitched into the left side. I heard BT's voice ring out through the speakers once more as I left the locker room. "The cafeteria is located on the left hall."

"What's the status up top?" I asked, ignoring his obvious hint that he wanted me to eat something.

"Possible compatibility for human colonization. An exploratory team is scheduled to be pulled from stasis to perform reconnaissance in one year. During one year period, designation BT will continue to monitor environment stability."

"What about people?"

"During last scan, no human life-forms detected."

…

"BT, do you think we're the last?"

"This unit does not understand your query," the speaker above me stated.

"Are we the last _humans_?"

"Not enough variables to create a conclusion. Four other Stasis Compounds were built to increase probability of human survival. Once an exploratory team can be deployed, further details will be provided," BT answered. Of course, there were four others out across the world. We'd gone so far without a hitch, but who's to say that they didn't have a malfunction and everyone in their compounds froze to death. For now, there wasn't much I could do to get an answer. "Recommendation: Your body is currently in severe need of nutrition."

"Do we have anything else besides those long-term storage rations?"

"Negative."

"Well shit…"

Seven hours later and I was no longer in my civilian clothes but a more military grade outfit. I wasn't military though. Hell no, I wouldn't know my way around a warzone if I were equipped in a C-Unit. For me, I was more a… combative technician. Your C-Unit or your Com Links breaking down? You call me up and I'll get you settled. Normally I ran with an actual squad of soldiers, but I usually just had a small side-arm on my belt. Everything else I carried was usually a set of tools and a belt full of equipment and parts.

Basically, I fix things for people in the middle of very dangerous situations. I'm a repairman.

Because of my usual proximity to actual firefights, I had taken to wearing a Kevlar Vest. After joining up with Cyster, they gave me something else to replace that vest. Something called an Over-Vest I heard but they referred to it as an OV. This OV was of course tougher than a Kevlar Vest. It was lighter, covered more of my body and had quite a bit more pockets for me to hold on to my tools and of course a little compartment to hook a roll of duct tape.

You could repair anything with a bit of duct tape and determination.

"BT, I've scoured the entire damn internal power grid and I haven't seen a single thing out of place," I called, pulling my head out from the insides of a panel before slamming it shut. I slid a wire cutter back into my OV before turning back to the speaker.

I had been running diagnostics and physical examinations for a while now, and so far nothing had really been so far out of place that it could cause a power issue in _three_ sectors. Diagnostics came up clean, and physical examinations only showed a few loose wires and bolts here and there. It wasn't much to really go on.

"Recommendation: External power grid might be compromised. Possible deterioration might have resulted in loss of critical power components or exposure to the elements."

"And you want me to do what exactly?"

"Repair any possible damage to the power grid," BT replied as a matter of fact and I stared incredulously at the speaker as if the AI had a face and could see me.

"You're asking me to head up top. Pretty sure you're asking me to break every protocol instilled by Cyster Command."

"Negative, Protocol R-45 overrides any interfering guidelines. You are within your rights to break surface to attempt repairs and sustain the Stasis Compound through any means necessary." BT countered before I got off the ground. I didn't like that last part of the phrase.

"Okay," I huffed while dusting my leggings off and making sure I had all my tools on my OV. "What are the guidelines for breaking surface, then?"

"Current Protocol B-12 dictates you acquire a fire-arm and an O-Unit due to possible exposure to pathogens. Under normal circumstances, you would also be required to be accompanied by a fire-team and at least one C-Unit. Due to overruling protocols and the situation, you will be required to journey alone," BT informed me and I scowled when I heard pathogen. The White Chlorination Syndrome had been the most terrifying thing I had ever seen. Long before the disease even hit my city, I had already seen videos of the snowing of the people who had broken down into nothing but white powder. I wondered why so many people refused to prepare though.

You could see it a mile away. The end of the human race, reduced to nothing but layers of salt littering the streets or mindless beasts. Just thank god Cyster Corporations saw it coming. When they finally got the funding to start building the bunkers, they were too late. Five bunkers had been made and about half a thousand could be sustained in each. It was nowhere near enough. I'd heard that they were making a super compound but… I suppose there was no way they would have time to really build something of that caliber in the little time they had. I couldn't even begin to imagine those who had been locked out. It wasn't that anyone really cared when the giant metal walls ceiled us down here. Hell, a lot of them _laughed._

Most people seemed content living their lives as they always had.

They probably would've started riots when they realized they were doomed. Well who knew how long the human race had lasted after we'd locked ourselves away. Maybe they finally wised up and made other bunkers. Maybe they instead threw themselves at the doors of the Stasis Compound in a fruitless effort to get inside. Most of us were sure that our supply could last us a while, and the stasis pods would allow us to blow through time as the disease died out along with the human race. What had us worried was what would become of us if the rioters got in. Automated defenses could easily deal with a bunch of angry civilians, but if they had managed to break through in the first place than we'd all be exposed to the disease. Speaking of defenses…

I could live with an O-Unit Suit. Actually, I rather liked that idea of using one.

They were light suits usually meant to be used in space or underwater, but the situation now was fit for its usage. They consisted of an airtight layer of hardened plastic which was then layered with blue tinted titanium pieces of armor. It wasn't much, though. Not nearly as much as a C-unit which reminded me of that massive green thing from one of those superhero movies. The small nature of an O-Unit allowed me to equip an OV. This in turn enabled me to bring all my tools and parts for the job.

When I entered the Armory, I realized that I had never actually been here before.

Hanging in suspension above me were numerous C-units. There was a large rack lining the southern wall which contained numerous large fire-arms. Some of them were much too large for a normal human to carry and required a C-Unit to wield. The wall on the other side had what looked like a conveyer belt with several mechanical arms lining the entire length.

"BT, we have a fabricator in the armory?"

"Affirmative. There is also a fabricator located in the Engineering Room."

"Were we planning on fabricating firearms?"

"If required, Director Haslet thought it important that we be able to sustain our productive capabilities,' BT answered while I explored the room. I hummed to myself before I found several O-Unit suits lying on a metal counter nearby. Once I approached the one of my choice, I heard the locks holding the suit down release.

"Thanks, BT," I stated before I start suiting up.

/-/

The lift suddenly shook slightly as it began to rise while the lights around me flickered to life.

"Recommendation: Please equip your helmet, R5…" BT's voice rank out from the speakers built into the shaft. I can never seem to remember that I'm supposed to ask BT to call me by real name. I suppose R5 will work for now.

Glancing down, I eyed the blue helmet in my gloved hands. It was, if I were to be so childish, a rather bad ass design. Whoever designed these had an idea for intimidating the enemy. There was a small triangle shaped plate of yellow tinted glass that lined the plate. A small antenna extended from the back where the communications systems had been built in.

With a soft sigh, I pulled the helmet over my face and watched as the Heads-up Display flickered to life.

[Energy Levels: 100%]

[Connecting to Operator: Designation BT]

[Connection Established]

[Oxygen Levels: Stable]

[Pressurizing…]

I felt the suit tighten slightly.

[Pressurization Complete]

[Finalizing HUD Start-up]

A small icon that looked distinctly similar to the small side-arm holstered on my left thigh appeared in the top left corner of my visor as well as a number count of current rounds held in the magazine. Next to that number was then a count of extra magazines I had stored in the OV. A small compass appeared at the very top and at the bottom left corner held an empty circle where a map should've been located. Frowning, I tapped my helmet lightly in hopes that maybe it was just a slightly glitch.

"BT, where's my mini-map?"

"Current mapping is unavailable. Connection with Cyster affiliated satellites was lost two years after Stasis Compound was locked down."

"Things must be bad out there," I muttered before running my hand across the grip of the LT14 at my side nervously. "BT, why was the internal clock disabled?"

"Unknown. Director Haslet made no comment for her actions."

"Of course…" I muttered darkly before glancing up at the almost endless space above me. The walls around me were a bright blur and I felt a soft twist in my stomach from the rapid rise in elevation. It was almost like yesterday when I had last seen the surface. Of course we wouldn't be conscious while remaining in stasis. Half of us would have gone mad long ago if we were. It was just… unnerving at the idea of seeing a completely new environment. Could there be other humans out there? Had the other bunkers already sent their occupants up years before us?

"R5, procedures dictate that I read the protocol that must be abided," BT's voice rang through my helmet this time instead of the lift speakers. I forgot that he was connected to my helmet link. "Protocol A-1: Uphold humanities survival…"

The lift shook roughly as it came to a halt. The new room I was brought into was basically pitch black for several seconds and I felt a chill run through my spine.

"…no matter the cost."

There was a loud pop before a line of white split down the blackness. Slowly, the blast doors slid open slowly. You could hear the rust scrape against the metal and the old gears struggle to turn. The room around me was flooded with a blinding light that even I had a hard time adjusting to, even with the tint of my visor. It was almost heavenly. I half expected to see a god step from the scolding light.

"Christ," I muttered, putting a hand up to my eyebrow as a sort of shield for my eyes. "BT, you recording this? I want those exploratory teams to see this when they get their chance out here."

"Affirmative R5. Please state the authorization code to begin operation," BT inquired. I frowned, not remembering anything about an authorization code. The blast doors were already open so I could just walk out…

"Ah!" I stated, remembering quickly. "R5, authorization code Victor-Five Dash Three Dash Sierra-One-One-Seven."

"Confirmed authorization code."

"Then let's get to it," I muttered, walking into the light.

/-/

 **Cyster Corporations:** a private military/research Company headed by Director Haslet. After running her family trade company into debt, Director Kelly Haslet turned to military research in a last ditch attempt to gain a product to sell to the United States of America which was looking for ways to bolster military efficiency. Once the successful O-Unit was developed, Cyster Corporations was able to clear all debt and continue to develop the heavier C-Unit, AR-Unit, and T-Unit suits. Cyster Corporations began accepting mercenary jobs from high paying countries and VIP's. When the White Chlorination Syndrome broke out, Cyster Corporations was one of the few that turned to human preservation instead of trying to halt the WCS. Many years after a Project Stasis went into action, plans for Project Gestalt entered early phase.

 **O-Unit Suit:** Light suits originally designed for use underwater and in space but now repurposed for harsh combat environment. They consist of an airtight layer of hardened plastic layered with blue tinted titanium pieces of armor. The suit was the lifeline of Cyster Corporations which ultimately rocketed the company into prosperity. The O-Unit is capable of modification, the most common being the addition of a shield generator which Cyster Corporations sold on the sidelines for a steep price. The suit was most commonly used by the Americans and on occasion, the Japanese and Germans.

 **C-Unit:** Heavy predecessor of the O-Unit, the C-Unit was meant for heavy weapons and demo jobs that the O-Unit was incapable of. The C-Unit was comparable to a walking tank, no longer being a suit of light armor plates but a heavy exoskeleton of metal and heavy armor. Hydraulics allowed for development of heavy weapons designed specifically for use by C-Unit wearers.

 **OV:** Tactical vest commonly worn over the O-Unit suit. In addition to the bonus light armor, the OV was commonly worn for the efficient arrange of equipment storage without constricting the user. The OV, despite common belief was not actually developed by Cyster Corporations but a small time firearms company attempting to upgrade the current Kevlar Vest.

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 **AN: Obvious reference to Titanfall 2 and much more subtle Halo 4, oh dear! I do appreciates thoughts on what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2: Machines

**AN: Introducing the enemy...**

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 **Machine**

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"BT, are you even scanning yet," I asked without really thinking, barely two steps outside the compound and I had already stopped. BT said something but I didn't pay attention. I was too busy staring at the skyscrapers around me that stood as silent as an empty compound where you were the only one alive.

I knew this city. I knew it the moment my eyes could see past the blaring sun that lit the world up far brighter than the inside of the Stasis Compound. I knew skyscraper in the far left, the one that had split in half and was currently leaned into the side of another. I used to visit some friends there.

I knew this street. I drove down it almost daily to get to the bunker where I helped design the internal structure personally. They used to hold an annual parade here celebrating New Years when I was still a child. Now look at it. The whole city looked like it had been bleached, and I wondered if the salt left behind by the infected had something to do with that.

The cracks in the city were long since taken over by the large vegetation and possible wildlife. I saw one tree that extended over one of the skyscrapers farthest from my sight. It had even broken through its center and was protruding through the top like a little mushroom. Much of the roofs were covered in massive amounts of leaves and other plants. The cracks in the street pavement held flourishing life that continued to grow happily in the sun.

"R5," I heard BT's voice break through my thoughts. Flinching, I turned back to the entrance. "I am detecting an increase of heart rate. Please focus on the mission."

"R-right," I stuttered, running a hand over the back of my neck. The bunker entrance used to be a large steel cylinder with a spherical top. As far as I could see, it was just a large doorway in the side of a grassy hill. Here and there I could see large pieces of debris protruding from the dirt. When my foot pressed against the sloped mound, I was surprised at the softness of the grass pressed underneath my boots. Slowly, I leaned down and ran my gloved hands through the green plants.

"BT, you ran a motion scan yet?" I asked once I remembered my original question, still admiring the life that had managed to grow after the plague had wiped out what was left of us on the surface. How long had these been growing? It was a shame that I didn't have an actual time counter to refer back to.

"Negative. External motion sensor have been rendered in-operational due to lack of stable power."

"Of course," I grunted, plunging my hand into the dirt to support myself as I slowly began to climb up the mound. It was rather nice being around so much life despite the city being nothing but an ancient husk of what it used to be. The amount of plant life was almost peaceful.

Living in the city like I did, surrounded by all the tech provided by Cyster, you really didn't get much time to go to a nearby park or really go out into the countryside to relax. Everything you did was just... advanced and complexity. Being stuck in an underground bunker for however long it might've been, despite not being conscious for the main portion of it, left me feeling like I should try and reconnect with the world.

"BT, I've found the issue," I stated. At the top of the hill was a rather large crater in the dirt. In the center was just a large beam of old steel with bits of vine wrapped around it. Just as I'd expected, it had smashed so far into the dirt that it had gone through the roof of the dome that had been buried underneath and smashed something important. "Looks like I'm going to have to cut through this thing out before I can actually do anything else, but eh…"

Glancing up into the air, I found a massive skyscraper leaned directly over us.

At some point the supports had given away and it had toppled over. The only reason it hadn't smashed the bunker entrance was because it had crashed into the side of another skyscraper and had halted after ripping through several floors, forming a sort of bridge over the bunker and providing a cool shade from the heat of the sun. It seems the large support beam had broken free and crashed into the dirt hill that had buried the bunker entrance. We'd been that close to being trapped inside that compound forever. Who knew what would've happened if that building had toppled all the way.

"This job's gotten a lot more complicated…"

"Affirmative. Recommendation: Installation of support beams might enable structural stability to the threat until the entire structure can be cut away and removed," BT stated, making me frown. Getting up from my crouching position, I stood to my full height and examined the area around us.

"By myself?"

"Affirmative."

"Do you know how long that'll take me?" I guffawed. BT showed no reaction to my shocked tone.

"Likely estimated time of completion with the use of C-Unit and proper equipment… four years," BT stated. Not helping… like at all. By the first year, the exploratory team would be pulled form stasis though. I could last a whole year without going insane right? It's common knowledge that a lack of human interaction led to mental instability. Until then I needed to improvise. If there were any dogs still living, maybe I could take one in. If there aren't any animals around to domesticate, then I would have to resort to humanizing non-living objects.

"Jesus, I feel insane already," I muttered as I crouched into the dirt and laid a hand against the steel beam that was the major source of my current problems. "BT, you have short range scanners in my helmet. Look for structural weak points in the beam."

"Affirmative. Please stand by, R5." Turing around, I saw and watched as a sort of blue light ran down the metal beam impaled into the ground. A moment later, several portions of the beam were lit up in red with a number labeling each side. Once three different locations had been labeled, BT called me back. "R5, please perform laser incision on labeled points in the numbered order."

"Alright then," I grunted, sitting in a cross legged position while I pulled out a small handheld drill. I extended a small wire from the inside of the suit and latched it into the outlet at the end of the handle. The laser tool came to life instantly as the O-Unit directed energy into its batteries. Once I was up and in position, I just had to pull down the trigger and a small blade of pure energy would sprout out. "BT, all the way through?"

"Negative. Red markers pinpoint where to halt incision."

"Perfect," I replied. When energy hit metal, a loud high pitch screech erupted as small particles of molten metal spewed out. I'd forgotten how messy working with laser tools was. Normally I was replacing parts, not cutting into steel beams. "BT, this metal seems a lot softer than it should be."

"Likely time has weakened alloy strength."

"Any chance the entire city could come crumbling down during an earthquake or something?" I asked before pulling the laser saw away. The cut was still orange from the heat but the job was done, and I proceeded to make the next cuts. "The skyscrapers probably pose the biggest issue."

"If you are unable to sustain external environment for the bunker, protocol E-34 may be enacted where all occupants will be pulled to attempt to handle the situation," BT comforted me, but I wasn't too sure.

 _Crack_ …

I turned around to see several large rocks made of concrete tumble off the side of a building, smashing into bits and pieces as it collided with the old grass covered street. Pulling the laser saw away, I tapped the side of my helmet slowly.

"BT, can you scan the environment for anything through my helmet?"

"Negative. The O-Unit was not equipped for recon. Maximum scan range, three feet," BT answered, prompting me to slowly un-holster the LT14 and lay it beside me on the dirt. I must've eyed the roof of that building for a few good minutes before turning back to the support beam and returning to my cutting. I couldn't help but feel that just maybe I wasn't the only thing walking around this city. "R5, I am detecting an increase of heart rate."

"I don't think I'm alone out here."

"It is plausible that structural integrity of nearby constructs would begin to fail after a long period of time," BT reassured me, but I merely shook my head. I turned my head slowly back to the beam and remained still for one last moment. When I was sure nothing was creeping up behind me, I drew up my laser saw once more and finished the last incision. All that was left was too…

A red image of a foot appeared on the side of the support beam, prompting me to frown before pressing my armored boot against the beam. With just a bit of pressure, the entire beam collapsed inwards and tumbled over the edge of the hill. I winced tightly as it came crashing down into a nearby tree with a loud clatter. In the distance, I even heard the sound of birds flying off in a scattered panic.

"BT, there might be hostile wildlife," I reasoned, feeling that impending sense of doom everyone always felt in the horror movie.

"Please repair the damaged power grid."

"Right…" I stated, climbing into the small crater. The top of the dome was a large metal layer which now had a gaping hole mashed into it. The insides were, to say the least, partially intact. The beam had missed a rather large portion of the circuitry. Basically only a rather small section of wire nodes had been smashed in the impact. The power surges were probably energy being sent up here into the mashed adapter. As of now, it was just a bunch of bright yellow sparks spewing out of a rather damaged metal cylinder.

"Damaged power node. Internal circuits might be old but retrievable." I breathed, wrapping a hand around the sparking object effortlessly. I knew my gloved hand would provide more than enough protection from electrocution. Pulling out a small screwdriver, I removed the bottom lid and examined the insides. There were four internal adapters which led off to four different wire streams. One of them had been smashed… utterly. It took me a whole minute to pull out the cracked bits and cut out the wire that was attached to it. "BT, what's this line lead to?"

"External lighting."

"Good, give me a moment and I'll have the other external power systems operation again," I stated while pulling out a small tube of metallic gel which I applied to the exposed circuits. Once I put the tube away, I slid an insulator mold cover over and slapped the lid back over the node. "BT, systems check."

"Running diagnostics…" There was a soft hum originating from the insides of the buried dome before BT got back to me. "Diagnostics complete. All external systems excluding lighting operational. All objectives completed."

"Then run that scan," I demanded, heaving myself out of the crater. When I finally pulled myself up and dusted the dirt out of the grooves of my armored plates, I was met with the once more eerie sound of crumbling rocks.

"Unknown entity detected," BT stated and my hand flew to the handgun still lying nearby. My fingers wrapped tightly around the grip as I pulled the gun up and outstretched from my body in straightened arms. My eyes were now that of a hawk as I scanned the surrounding area. Shifting on my feet in a crouched position, I turned in numerous directions.

"Where," I breathed softly, gun held leveled to my eyes so that I was aiming down-sight.

"Building located directly east. Recommendation: Cautious investigation," BT proposed and I found myself not liking the idea at all. I'd seen the birds so maybe it was nothing but a small animal scurrying around. I sincerely hoped it was, but I could trust Lady Luck to always be on my side.

"BT, really don't want to go in that."

"Personal R5 expressed his distaste towards using primary weapons on numerous occasions."

"This is not about not having a bigger _gun_ BT. I thought everything was supposed to be dead, but I just saw a flock of birds a moment ago. Who knows how the surviving animals evolved after all the time that's passed!"

"Recommendation: Cautious investigation," BT repeated and I held back an insult. BT was just an AI so he wouldn't understand fear.

"Going in." I was actually quite impressed with how level-headed I appeared when I'd said it too. I slowly covered the distance between the three story building and I. Age had taken away every single window that might've been there originally, all contents contained inside taken by age as well. The roof seemed to have caved inwards into the third floor. The first wasn't a pile of rubble so I at least know the structure was barely holding on. When I reached the entrance, I pressed myself up against the edge of the doorway while remaining just outside. I whispered into the speaker built into my lower helmet. "Lights."

Two bright beams of white brightness originating from two small glass caps that extended from my helmet flickered on and the darkness within the room flushed out immediately.

With one deep breath and a few hesitant steps, I moved inside with my handgun sweeping the entire room. I stepped around several corners with my back practically pressed up against the wall while I peered around each doorway. There were around five rooms on the first floor, five that were discernable anyways. During its prime, there must've been more but the walls gave in long ago and there was just a collection of now larger rooms left.

I silently wondered if I had ever been in this building before humanity fell. It was right across the street from the bunker entrance so I must've been through here a few times. I was saddened by the fact that I never really paid attention to my surroundings. It was hard to take in when you realized that the world that you had taken for granted was long gone. There were much more stressing matters to deal with, like trying to secure the survival of my race.

 _Thump…_

I nearly fell over as I pushed myself up against the wall, handgun aimed directly up into the second floor. I couldn't stop my index finger from trembling and I feared that I might accidently fire if it didn't stop. My breath was heavy, and my heart was a drum at a concert. I could see my breath clouding the bottom of my visor slightly.

 _Thump…_

"B-BT," I gasped, failing not to stutter. I didn't know what was more terrifying. The fact that there was something in the building with me or that I did not know what it was.

"Affirmative?"

 _Thump…_

"Where is that coming from?" I asked as the noise became louder as well as more constant.

 _Thump…_

"Warning: Motion detected directly above," BT stated and my eyes widened. One moment I was glancing up at the ceiling, and floor above me came crashing down.

A heavy weight slammed into my back, throwing me onto my side as debris covered me in a powdery dust. I gasped in shock as I threw several large pieces of flooring off of me.

 _"_ _Kill!"_

Something large gripped me by the black plating of my armor and I was suddenly dragged off the ground. The next thing I felt as I slammed through a wall was the impact and my head clipping something hard and metal as I flew out into the streets. I tumbled over and rolled onto my stomach. My head ached and my back felt like I'd been hit by a train. With a ring still in my ear, I grimaced while I struggled to look up at my assailant.

" _Kill all androids!"_

It was a bipedal figure of pure rusted and old metal that stood at nearly double my height. Its body was rounded and plump, giving off the feeling of a rather fat figure with block arms. Its fists were the most prominently armored portion of the machine. Its head was nothing but a dull sphere with two lights for eyes built into the face. Moss covered almost every portion of the machine, giving off a hint to how old this thing was.

"What are you?" I slowly gasped, slowly pushing myself off the ground. It did not respond, despite speaking clear English mere seconds ago. Instead it took several steps forwards, so fast that I could barely register as a fist struck at me. I barely back stepped away from the attack, toppling into the dirt hill that contained the bunker.

The machine stood above me and smashed both hands besides me head before we came face to face, mere inches away from each other. I could hear the gears ticking inside and the rusted screeching of oxidized metal surfaces scraping against each other while the robot screamed at the same words over and over into my face. It was like the robot was trying to make a point of dominancy. This thing appeared sentient and currently in a fit of uncontained rage.

Its left hand smashed into face while I was still trapped in my stupor, wrapping its large bulky fingers around tightly before I felt the pressure slowly increase. Pinning me to the ground, it began to slowly crush the helmet of the O-Unit around my head.

"Warning, suit integrity dropping," BT warned as the HUD began to flicker.

"BT, I need some help here!" I roared, more so in a sudden fit of irritated rage as a crack split across my visor. I grabbed for my gun and realized that I no longer had it on me. Slowly, I began to feel myself being lifted off the ground. "Oh boy."

Kicking and squirmed as I was suddenly in the air, over one hundred pounds of my weight now pulling down at the fragile point of my neck. My eyes widened as the crack on my visor suddenly shot out in length while my HUD was distorting around the jagged shape. Just barely, despite the distortion and cracked visor, I could make out a small message running across the top of my visor.

[REK-1 Unit Operational]

[Auto-H/Turret Online]

 _"_ _Kill! Kill! Kill!"_ the high pitched and artificial voice box screeched in lunatic fanaticism.

[Target Acquired]

 _Crackthoom!_

One moment my vision was filled with rusted metal the next I was seeing nothing but a deformed hunk of molten metal flying off me. The machine tumbled over and landed roughly in the center of the street where it went silent. The light in its last remaining eye that hadn't been blown out slowly died. It was strange, as it felt almost similar to watching an actual person slowly perish. Their eyes just flickered out like a blown candle.

I lay there while staring up in the sky for to me several minutes. I turned to my left when I heard the soft hum of a new machine.

"Hostile pacified," BT rumbled.

"Thanks BT, but you could have done that earlier…" I breathed, still catching my bearings from nearly having my head popped open like a soft drink. Rolling out from the bunker entrance revealed a lightly armored mobile platform, code named REK-1 for being the first type of its kind. The cannon fitted on top was still steaming while an expended shell flew out the side. The loud click of metal informed me that another round had just been loaded.

"Apologies, R5. The reboot sequence required a recalibration of the targeting code. The REK-1 Unit has been stored within bunker entrance since its construction."

It was a small Cyster machine, only being a six by four foot square mobile platform. Normally, REK units were equipped with treads. Instead, this variant donned six large wheals that supported the PDT Magnum bolted to the top. The distinct silver and red paint that marked the edges of the machine made me wonder how such equipment was still un such great shape after all this time. Had that thing been sitting in there all this time? I don't know how I failed to notice it before. I guess that it might've been sitting behind me and it _was_ pretty dark in there.

"All that matters," I gasped, still feeling the ache in my head as I slowly stumbled up from the ground. "Is that my brain is still inside where it should be."

Slowly I approached the steaming husk of molten metal. The left side had been completely obliterated but the head was still there along with the right arm. Internal wiring and gears that hadn't been reduced to a slab of heated metal reminded me of a few steam-punk designs of machines that had been created for a small convention I had seen as a kid.

"BT, if there are more of these roaming about then I want to know how to kill them quickly and efficiently. Show me the weak points," I said and waited while the AI scanned the specimen. Sure enough, specific armored plates that were still intact lit up in a red light as well as several diagrams of internal parts that looked rather important. All this was of course, only visible through the digitalization of my helmet.

I didn't recognize this… and it didn't look like it was made for any conventional purposes. In fact, it looks so poorly constructed that I wondered if it was even designed for combat. The thin plates that BT had lit up on my HUD had been more numerous than armored plates. Hell, even a major portion of the torso looked thin enough for my handgun to blast right through and that was where a lot of critical components were probably contained.

"BT, what have you got on this thing?" I asked while prodding it lightly with my foot.

"Unknown. I am not familiar with the design." BT replied, prompting me to tighten my grip around my gun as BT continued his examination. Once he had finished up, a digitized layout of the entire internal workings of the new machine thing appeared on my HUD. "Data downloaded. The exploratory teams will find this crucial to their operation."

"Focus on keeping me alive for now, BT. I need to know if more of these things are out there and how we can monitor their movements. What's the range of the external sensors?"

"Accurate scans end within a sixty yard radius, insufficient for large scale recon. Recommendation: Deployment of the prototype mobile scanner array REK-4 at a location of high altitude," BT replied. I glanced up at the massive abandoned skyscrapers that stood silently in the wind of the once great city.

"Finding a place won't be an issue. How do I get one up there?" I asked. Several blips appeared on my screen, marking one of the fallen skyscrapers which had formed a sort of catwalk into a much larger building. I was about to ask how BT knew if he could only scan in a small radius around the bunker until I remembered that he could see everything I saw.

"The REK-4 should be able to perform successful scans of the entire city from the exposed level."

"Ha, and I thought I'd just be fixing wires today," I snorted before rubbing a hand over a dent within my helmet. I wasn't sure of the White Chlorination Syndrome had died out by now or if any other type of disease now roamed, but I was just glad the suit's integrity wasn't fully compromised. I'd hate to turn into a bunch of salt before finding out what the hell happened to the world.

"R5, do you require a more suitable weapon?"

"Huh?" I asked, glancing down at my empty holster. I had lost my gun in the building and I wasn't too sure if I wanted to spend all the time digging through debris just to find a weapon that may not even be that useful against these machines. I eyed the destroyed remains at my feet and huffed. "Confirmed hostile environment?"

"Affirmative, Protocol B-6 dictates proper weapons be provided for operations should hostile threats be identified." I slowly ran finger over the jagged crack that ran vertically down the left side of my helmet before scoffing. So I was now required to carry a primary weapon?

"I'm a repairman, BT. I don't normally use guns. Hell, I barely know how to shoot! Now here are some items that I _can_ use…"

/-/

 _Crackthoom!_

The rather loud explosion of a canister shell should be heard miles away, disturbing the normally peaceful environment. Animals stirred, Machine life forms stiffened, and a peculiar female shaped android glanced upwards from her laid back position on the edge of one of the large building complexes in the center of the city ruins.

Slowly, she sat up and placed her hands against the edge to support herself while she slowly pushed her figure onto her feat. Once supported, she could now stand on the small one foot high concrete barrier edge.

Long silver hair cascaded down her slim artificial skin that had long since been covered in great amounts of dirt. Black outlines of the metal underneath her skin could be seen lining her outer layer and the wear on her massive sword told stories of her time in combat. Despite the dirt and damage, they could not hide the pretty face under a soft comb of hair that covered a portion of her left eye slightly. Her clothes were heavily torn, exposing large parts of her skin to the world and as such the effects of the elements of nature on her body. Her attire used to resemble the current design her organization operates with, but that had been in the past.

It had been long ago that she left them and as well as her purpose.

Now she roamed the city, looking to kill The Machines that are unfortunate to come across her and the massive blade she wielded. Her daily activity consisted of wiping out entire groups of them in mere minutes. Machines at some point even seemed to… _fear_ her. She did not understand how it was possible. They were not supposed to feel any emotions. She didn't care much more either way. They all died, smashed down to the bolt and gear by the end of the fight.

When she heard the shot, she instantly knew something was off. She'd heard gunfire before with her time working with Pods and the sound they made was impressive to say the least when they fired a heavy blast. This one though sounded different, almost like metal hitting metal instead of an actual explosion of gunpowder or the hiss of an energy based weapon. A new Machine possibly? She didn't think YoRHa was testing out new ranged weaponry at this point, instead focusing on upgrading their androids themselves.

"Machine," her soft voice spoke on her expressionless face.

If it was a machine, she would find it. When she did, she would crush it.

No machine escapes A2.

* * *

 **REK-4:** Mobile treaded platform variant designed to transport long range communication and radar equipment. The REK platforms were all designed by a Cyster Corporation branch originally for civilian use until heavier armor and treads were implemented. The immense weight capacity made them ideal for mobile weapon platforms, leading to the REK-1 (mobile point defense) and the REK-2 (mobile AA defense).

* * *

 **AN:** **So despite the fact that I do not have time to reply (so sorry), I did go through every single review I have received, one asking that I make R5 someone who can defend himself. This chapter did portray him as vulnerable but I would also like to point out that this is his first time encountering one. I can guarantee that he will know how to kick ass later.**

 **Another review asked what I will do about the Pods which by default would naturally be able to detect that R5 was a human. I'm actually counting on the feature for something later on and it's actually a rather simple, but slightly boorish fix which I might change up later in my plans.**

 **This chapter introduces the basic enemy. Next chapter will introduce first contact with androids.**


	3. Chapter 3: Androids

**AN: Someone told me that people only play Nier for the robo-thighs.**

* * *

 **Androids**

* * *

In all personal honesty, the REK-4 was one of the coolest pieces of hardware I had ever come across during my time operating under Cyster Corporations. The mobile platform was an absolute _beast._ The treads were practically smaller versions of the variants used on just about every MBT… well used to be. I don't think anyone manufactures Main Battle Tanks anymore.

The mobile platform was a seven by seven meter square platform on treaded wheels in comparison to the REK-1 which was only a six by four. There was a thin plate of armor that ran over the treads, providing minimal protection against small arm fire and the elements of nature. Bolted to the top of the platform was a rather blatant mini satellite dish with two large tubes connecting into a small terminal wired into the front of the mobile platform. There were three screen monitors hanging from the side with several statistic bars and a very large imaging of the surrounding environment.

Near the back was a medium sized AL-Turret which continuously turned in a full circle as it scanned the area. Cyster Corporations would have to be headed by idiots to have designed such a valuable piece of equipment without any possible defense measures. On the plus side, I trusted BT's control with a gun a lot more than I did myself. Sure BT still made me bring a MARifle, a standard issue Cyster Corp primary weapon, but I wasn't nearly as efficient with it as I was with my basic equipment. With the right situation, I could really do some damage with what I usually kept on me. I didn't just bring the usual repairman get-up either. I had a few other toys I'd played around with a lot in during my career on my person at the moment.

On the other hand, the AL-Turret was notorious for tearing through light armor and dismembering human bodies. BT felt it would be sufficient to bring the REK-4 alone as the only defense was quick to react and could, after a scan of the metal wreck, penetrate the armor of that eight foot bipedal robot.

Getting back on topic, the scan range and capabilities of the mobile platform were severely limited. Once it reached the deployment zone, it would lock itself into the ground through four heavy bolts and then proceed to extend its antennas and thus fully optimizing capabilities. Connection to the Stasis Compound would be crucial, allowing for BT's presence to span the entire city ruins and a bit further beyond. For now, I would need to stick close to the REK-4 in order to be able to communicate with BT now that I was no longer in range of the entrance of the Stasis Compound.

I marched side by side with the REK-4 as we made our way down the quiet city of plant life. I had yet to come across anything resembling that previous machine as of now. BT actually wanted me to drag the corpse into the bunker for decontamination and research. Apparently, I was no longer just a repairman but a one man exploratory team. Whatever BT recommended, could be turned down fortunately. If I wanted to, I could say no. It was just that there was a lot of people counting on me to make sure we'd come out on top at the end of the day. We _needed_ this REK-4 deployed. We _needed_ to remove the ticking time bomb in the form of a hanging building over the bunker. We _needed_ to secure our future in this world.

"BT, run another pulse scan," I ordered, eyeing the buildings around us in an almost psychotic paranoia. I wasn't looking to get my head smashed in by another crazed junkyard scrap. I was confident in the AL-Turret's abilities to blow holes through anything, but that didn't mean we couldn't be caught off guard. A lot of unconfirmed time had past. I didn't know much the world had really changed.

"This unit has performed a pulse scan seven times in the last fifteen minutes. Further use proves unnecessary," BT replied back, causing me to bite my lower lip and slowly rub the satchel at my side that contained a rather large battery that I had… other plans for.

Those robots, whatever they were, looked old. The rust and amount of moss I had seen on the first I had encountered gave off that much at least. They also looked, in a way sentient if not insane. That thing had been screaming the word "Kill" over and over again before BT gunned it down with a single heavy round from the REK-1.

I would've loved to have brought that along as well, but BT was adamant about leaving it behind now that hostiles had been confirmed. My own desire to keep the occupants safe as well finally let me to reluctantly let the weapons platform to remain while the REK-4 and I went off by ourselves.

"Would you look at that?" I breathed as we slowly came to a halt in front of a rather peculiar work of art on the side of the building. I wasn't sure what liquid it was, but it sure didn't look like paint. It was dark grey and had long since dried since it had been made, but the text's statement was obvious.

 _Machine's world…_

"Getting a bit of a Terminator vibe here," I joked despite knowing that BT was incapable of understanding humor. Stale jokes aside, I couldn't help but feel a part of that statement held a bit of truth.

This didn't seem like our world anymore.

"Warning: motion sensors detecting contacts directly ahead. Scanning now," BT suddenly stated and my eyes instantly turned towards the street ahead of us. The REK-4 rumbled and a small light pulse ignited outwards from the small array. "Marking contacts…"

Three markers appeared on my HUD and I watched as two specifically smaller once emerged out from around the corner. Well _emerged_ wasn't the right term but stumble out from was more accurate. They were visibly slowed down as one dragged the other for some reason. Where was the third contact? Were they running from it?

"Jesus Christ, they're human," I breathed, feeling a spark of hope fill my chest as two figures stumbled around an old bus wreckage. It wasn't until I saw one of their legs that something else became drastically clear.

"Negative. Large concentration of metal elements detected," BT corrected as I saw the torn metal stump of what was supposed to be the left leg of the person who was being pulled with one arm wrapped around the other's shoulder.

Both had red hair, and I mean _really_ red hair. The color was comparable to a rose and I found that both were actually appeared to be attractive young women. They were slim, their faces were almost devoid of blemishes and their skin lacked any discoloration of possible tanning through their solid cream color. They almost looked perfect… almost too perfect.

"BT, they're human. Scan again."

"Unit REK-4 has already preformed three scans on the subjects. Neither is composed of all basic elements that fall in category of organic material. _They are not human_."

They both halted their slow advance when they noticed the rather unusually armored person and the vehicle besides him. That being me. One of them didn't seem to pay much attention, likely due to the fact that half her left leg was gone. The other one… well her eyes narrowed and her hand went for a rather large dark sword at her side. How did she lug that massive blade around _and_ her companion together? Speaking of which, the wounded girl had one as well.

"R5, third contact identified as hostile," BT warned and I watched as a massive figure pulled itself from around the corner, giant half circular arms smashing through the entire building. I gawked at the sheer size of the rusty metal life form as it trudged from the rubble.

It had a massive cylinder shaped body, similar to the much smaller version I had come across previously. It trudged on rather thin metal limbs attached to thick platforms for feat. Its arms were what made its attack design obvious. Its arms were basically as large as the torso, with small heads built into the sides and massive blocky fingers protruding from the ends. There were two long rods protruding out from the end of the metal arms all the way up the entire length, emphasizing the rather tiny spherical shaped and simple head. Despite the differing shapes and size, it was of the same origin as the previous machine that had assaulted me.

Another interesting detail was that there were numerous large gashes of torn metal that were scattered all over the lumbering machine in a variety of places. It couldn't have possibly have been those swords? I didn't think it were possible that such archaic weapons could dish out such damage.

"Recommendation: Assist humanoid non-organics."

"BT, you said it yourself. They're not human. They may be hostile for all we know."

Either way, the one carrying her comrade turned towards me and then back at the third contact. She was likely contemplating which of us the bigger threat was. The two of them had put a considerable amount of distance between themselves but now that they had halted in their tracks, it was slowly covering said distance.

"R5, in order to increase chances of successfully sustaining Stasis Compound, acquiring native allies are necessary. Humanoids are identified as enemies of hostile machines."

" _Argh!_ BT, new designation Androids. Hostile designated Alpha," I grunted while the _Alpha_ slowly blundered forward in an almost comical fashion. I slowly approached while holding my hands up in a non threatening fashion and turned on the speakers to the O-Unit suit. "Hostile or friendly?!"

"Depends on who the hell you are!" one of them called back and I inwardly grimaced as the Alpha continued to get closer. The two androids weren't oblivious to the massive giant either.

"Just a simple repairman, miss," I replied, though I was beginning to shift nervously as the Alpha was nearly before the two. BT couldn't start shooting even though he had long since been in range of the target. If an unlucky bullet struck those two out in the street, that would be quite a terrible incident for native relations with these androids. "Hey, you going to let me help you or what?"

The wounded android weakly nudged her comrade before the carrier finally gave in with a threatening growl.

"Help me, the Goliath got her leg," she ordered and I rushed forwards to the injured android. I pulled her other arm around my neck so that we were both supporting her weight and pulled her upright evenly from the ground. Quickly, we dragged her away from the Alpha contact all the way up to the REK-4 which no longer had to worry about friendly fire.

"Engaging contact," BT's voice declared from my helmet speakers. The AL-Turret whirled around, directing the barrel at the Goliath as the android had called it. The machine seemed to stop and take the large gun into account before it fired.

The explosion of gunpowder was deafening as the quick bursts of lead pounded against the armor. I watched the Goliath wobble slightly from the hailstorm before taking a kneel forwards, both large and heavy arms slamming down up front to act as forms of shields as the AL-T continued the heavy suppression. Despite the display of firepower, no one was really standing there to admire it.

"Up you go," I heaved, wrapping both arms around the armpits of the injured android so that I could heave her up onto the top of the REK-4 and behind the AL-T. I then held a hand out to the second but she brushed me off, quickly climbing alongside her companion. I ignored the obvious hostility coming from her.

"BT, show me something I can hit!" I ordered, leaping off the edge and yanking out a small half a foot long canister that I tossed around lightly.

The Goliath was soon covered in dark red outlines as the internal components were examined carefully. The arms were much too heavily armored to do any damage, even by some of Cyster Corp's strongest guns. The machine was smart, using its arms in such a shield like fashion. Front torso was nowhere near as thick, but still well armored enough for my current ideas to be thwarted. Compared to the last variant I had fought, this was a walking tank. My MARifle was practically useless right now, but there was something else I had brought along… The head was too high and I wasn't looking to take my chances with those other heads built into the arms. The legs and under armor though…

An in-depth examination revealed just the vulnerability I wanted.

"What are you doing?!" the hot-headed android called to me as she held her injured friend upright.

"Levelling the playing field," I grunted while pulling out the LS so I could insert a short cable that connected the Laser Saw to the Lithium-Ion battery built into the upper back section of the O-Unit suit. Latching the LS against my belt, I tightened my grip into a fist as the Goliath began to slowly push forwards, arms acting as the barrier between the bullet storm and any lighter armor pieces. What was I really doing?

I'm a repairman. I fix things that break down and make sure your air conditioning is still running in my free time. My job was to fix broken equipment. I maintained your O-Units and I made sure the REK's survived the day. I don't run straight into the fight guns blazing as if I were taking after Rambo. That wasn't me. That's not who I am…

 ** _"Don't keep me waiting, kay?"_**

I glanced to my right to what I thought was a figure sitting atop a pile of rubble that had been formed when the side of a building had fallen apart likely years ago. When I blinked, there was no figure. Yet something in my head seemed to almost... click on.

"BT, hold your fire!" I yelled, smashing the butt of the rod against the metal plate of my arm. A spark ignited the small timed fused inside as I lobbed the smoke canister at the goliath. True to my words, BT also ceased to barrage the machine with the REK-4.

 _What am I doing?_

The canister pinged against the side of the heavy armor and bounced back onto the concrete where a small pop sounded. A mere second later and a grayish white smoke spewed out as the Potassium Chlorate and Sodium Bicarbonate mashed together inside the can. The entire street was covered and clouded while I charged right in. The smoke was heavy, far heavier than I hoped the machine could look through. If it had infrared or any sort of advanced scanners though, I was done for. I although did not need such tech. The hulking machine was a massive dark outline in the cloud that I circled quickly.

 _Have I lost my mind?!_

As the large arms drew inwards and began to spin in a rotor like motion, I flanked from the left side of the street. Soon, the massive arms were giant twirls into the air as smoke began to disperse from the displaced air. Even approaching the hulking mechanism had a small challenge as the winds produced by the spinning arms were incredibly strong.

"You're mine," I breathed in a form of bloodlust not even I knew I had. This new hunter in the form of me moved in like a predator readying to kill its prey. All I knew was that I had to kill it. I _could_ kill it. I knew exactly how to.

 _What's happening to me?_

In one solid motion, the spinning arms swung up and then dropped into the ground. The collision felt like a bomb had been dropped in the middle of the street. The ground _shook_ and a crater blew into the pavement from the two massive metal arms as they blasted away the smoke from the single blow. Neither of us were within the smoke, and it was suddenly just it and I staring t each other as the smoke moved back in swiftly. Those cold metal eyes of a nothing but a murderous collection of scrap metal.

A halt of my revealed charge and a quick stumble back allowed me to survive a brutal shattering of every bone in my body as well as the armor hugging my torso caving into my body. A giant piston of two metal rods rocketed out of the Goliath's arm, smashing through a nearby building. My eyes widened at the sight of pure armored metal in the form of a giant piston mere inches away from my face while the building collapsed. I jumped away, backing off into the smoke cover that was slowly moving back into the center of the cleared air. I circled around the other way this time as the Goliath turned in numerous directions, launching its fists in random directions and distorting portions of the smoke. Each strike was comparable to a cannon going off.

 _"_ _Kill!"_ I heard it scream in rage while I reached the backside. I removed a small mold of C-4 still wrapped up tightly in a wrap and a small rod like remote blasting cap protruding from the flat surface of the plastic explosive. _"Kill all androids!"_

The machine didn't even notice me as I passed by, sliding the C-4 against its left leg and hauling ass away. It did not possess the scanners capable of motion of even infrared detection.

"Fire in the hole," I whispered to myself as I dove behind a small pile of rubble and rolled against the newfound cover. My hands went over my head and I clenched my eyes shut.

There was a crack that I heard, like a firecracker. I didn't hear the explosion though and I think I went deaf for several moments as my head began to ring loudly. I saw the cover smoke blow outwards and disperse immediately from the force, mixed in with great amounts of dirt and rocks that flung into the buildings that made up the street block. Metal parts landed all around me, pieces which were terribly torn up and bent into all shapes and forms. Yet despite all the destruction, a small voice in the back of my head kept telling me that I was in heaven. It was _beautiful..._

When the dust settled, the dirt no longer raining down on me, I slowly rose. My hearing returned soon after, the first things being BT calling for me and the loud scraping of the loud wreck as it attempted to pull itself up. I could not make out his words though, but I had something else taking up the most of my concern.

The Goliath, previously designated as the Alpha contact, no longer had legs as it dragged itself away with gears and components continuing to fall out. The large arms were still attached albeit damaged and warped heavily from the explosion. I couldn't find any missing metal limbs lying around so I assumed the metal debris scattered about used to make up the legs.

The moment I could even gather my thoughts, I was up and pushing forwards once more. I stumbled twice over pieces of debris and rock protruding from the scarred street until I was finally before the Goliath. It swung its right massive arm but the lack of support resulted in a half hazard miss which caused the machine rolling over onto its side. I came around to the backside where I knew the armor was unusually heavy. In the upper center mass was a single square plate of armor nearly triple the thickness of the frontal torso armor. The REK-4 scan could not get through, but it didn't take a genius to know there was a reason for such protection.

I pulled out my Laser Saw and ignited the tool so that a blue tipped edge of pure energy ignited. The goliath knew what I was doing and it began the shriek in rage while the arms thrashed widely. Without legs though, the weight was heavily distributed unevenly and it was stuck on its side.

"Ain't so tough once I know how your weak points, huh?" I cackled madly, the laser edge biting into the hard metal like butter. I didn't even flinch as the arms spun around wildly in a rotor fashion.

I felt like a Jedi cutting through the metal doors in the movies as I made a large cut. Sparks and molten drops of metal spewed out as I finished the cut and the plating fell inwards to reveal a circular object. There was a sphere suspended in the center of the armored box with large collection of wires and pipes connecting to the outer layer of it. Watching the machine thrash, every movement and every scream happened directly after a small pulse of light shot out from the sphere. This was its core. _Its heart._

 _"_ _Kill… a-a-_

"Last one chanted that too," I stated, eyeing a rather peculiar internal circular center piece that was now exposed due to a large portion of the armor being torn away. I'd known it was there already, but a C-4 wouldn't get through its torso armor. I needed to do enough damage that either it died right instantly or it would be rendered immobile. The legs were perfect.

The two limbs I had targeted were severally under-armored compared to the rest of the body as well as the lower plating which consisted of a second head around the groin area. Possible jokes aside about such unique designs, it made a perfect place for the plastic explosive to rip into.

 _-andro-oids…"_

"Just die already," I sighed, pressing my metal plated boot into what I had a feeling was the heart. The Goliath stiffened as the already weakened and dented structure collapsed under my weight. Slowly, the power drained from its internal circuits as its systems shut down one after another. Its arms went limp, crashing loudly into the ground. The spherical head screamed one last garbled mess of audio pitches before finally going silent with the head's position locked on me.

 ** _"You know I don't like to be kept waiting..."_**

"What the hell," I suddenly gawked, holding my hands up to my head as I felt the adrenaline drain away. The cloud that covered my mind lifted and I felt the familiar sense of fear and self preservation return. No longer was I filled to the brim with confidence and I could only stand there and shake as I tried to catch my breath. One moment I was standing there trying to get a grasp of the situation and considering my options, and the next I was just moving. I felt like something had just been switched on and off inside of me. Did normal soldiers feel this on the frontlines where they were constantly so close to death?

And that voice. I knew it so well, and yet I didn't at the same time.

"R5, please remember to clear the blast radius of explosive elements next time," BT suddenly stated into my helmet while I stepped off the remains. I noticed the REK-4 slowly drawing up alongside with two androids perched on top. I quickly approached the left side of the mobile platform where I found the side handlebars. Using the metal grips, I pulled myself up off the ground. Whatever had just happened, it could wait. I would probably get BT to preform a Psych Evaluation on me.

"You'd think these things would have more armor around the important parts," I commented as I hopped on to check their status, receiving a glare from the rather hot headed of the pair. In spite of this, I was finally able to get a better look at their appearances.

They were, in terms of facial structure, the exact same. Both had green eyes with long rather pretty lashes, a thin pair of eyebrows, and the same soft thin lips across their pure faces. The injured of the pair had rather calm and straight long hair that was cut straight around her forehead. Her companion who still had both legs donned a much messier and fiery hair style, likely in reference to her personality which seemed to be downright hostile right now.

"Popola," the injured redhead said while putting a hand to her chest, smiling despite half her leg had been ripped off but I suppose she could just get it replaced as she _was_ a machine. "And this is my sister Devola. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Popola, you can't just greet every stranger we come across and start giving away our info!" her companion and now identified as her sister, Devola chastised her.

I was surprised by the fact that a pair of machines could be _considered_ sisters. But then again, they were just so humanlike. I found it ridiculously hard to believe that anywhere in the future that we humans had designed such perfect machines that almost mimicked human behavior to the point. They had body language, emotions, expressions. If these were machines, then they were some of the most advanced I've ever seen.

I could see the slight hostility in Devola. You could identify it in her body language. Her constant stiffening and protectiveness of her sister. Popola was just as expressive of her personality. She was more open to people. The more peaceful and friendly one. How could mere androids develop such complex personalities? I mean come on, _androids_. Did humans build that Goliath thing and androids as well? I knew for a fact that we did not have that tech when we went under.

"Its fine, Devola. He's obviously friendly!" Popola said warmly, smiling my way. "Though you're not from around here are you?"

I uttered a strange gurgle at her of words at her perception before finally coming with a simple nod. Devola merely narrowed her eyes while Popola giggled in reply. I wasn't nervous. This was just so surreal.

"I've never seen a model like you before… R5 is it?" Popola breathed, reading off from the rather obvious nameplate built into the side of my shoulder pads. "You're not a new YoRHa model, are you?"

"Um… no I'm not part of this… Yee Haw group," I replied, not correcting them on their assumption that I was an android. As far as I had seen up till now, there wasn't much human-life walking around. The only sentient I had seen walking were machines or androids and that gave me mixed feelings about what they thought of humans. Who knew, maybe humans were the bogeymen to them. Devola crossed her arms and snorted.

"Where'd you come from then, R5? Probably crawled out from under some rock on the other side of the planet recently to not be familiar with YoRHa of all things," she stated, earning a nudge from Popola.

"I came from back East that way," I lied, pointing towards said direction and ignoring the obvious jab.

"Wow, you came all the way from the desert?" Popola breathed in awe.

"W-well further than that."

"You've been travelling far, huh? Must've been hella' lucky to not have run into a goliath biped by now. You at least know what The Machines are in general right?" she asked as more of an off joke. Unfortunately, I did not know the official meaning, but I could make an educated guess.

"Large, clunky, and rusty?"

"You've summed up just about the majority of them," Devola mumbled under her breath while I turned to the small camera lens attached to the top of the REK-4. Putting my face into its view, I gave the lens a light tap.

"You hear that BT? Scrap that Alpha designation. New identification Goliath Biped, race classification Machines," I mused, despite the AI being perfectly capable of hearing me from within my helmet. The camera then turned towards the sister androids as if regarding them. Popola waved happily at it before the camera swiveled back to me.

"Classification updated. Recommendation: Acquire data collective of current environment from possible native populace," BT stated, although only I could hear him. I scratched the back of my head and turned towards the pair behind me.

"You wouldn't happen to have something like… a terminal or system I could access with everything regarding data of what's known about Machines, would you?" I inquired. I had a great amount of data already that I could put to my advantage, but that was only against the Goliath Biped. The smaller but still large variant i had first come into contact had been half melted away from the REK-1, meaning a large portion could not be scanned. I doubted there were just two variants. I needed to know everything i could before I took on more bark then I could chew. Popola put a finger to her chin and hummed quietly to herself. Her eyes widened and she turned towards her sister who was sitting next to her with her arms crossed.

"Weren't you tinkering with a broken Pod a few weeks ago?" Popola asked her sister. Said sister frowned before finally remembering.

"Actually I did. Busted up bad, that thing. I suppose you can have it if you want. I couldn't salvage anything from it anyways," Devola offered, no longer as threatening in demeanor as she was before once her mind was focused somewhere else. She suddenly smiled brightly when she seemed to sprout a new idea. "You know… my sister's leg is _really_ damaged right now. Do you think you could give us a ride into the Resistance Camp? The Pod should be stored somewhere in there…"

"Devola you can't just ask him for favors like that! He's already done enough helping with that Goliath," her sister stated, but Devola shrugged it off.

"Hey, I could've taken that bastard out myself! I've killed my fair share of Machines myself, and I probably could've finished it off if you hadn't gotten yourself hurt," Devola bragged, prompting me to glance down at the blades both sisters carried at their side. So had it really been a simple pair of blades that had given that much damage to the machine? For being a bunch of highly advanced humanoid machines, their weapon of choice was drastically underwhelming and yet incredibly concerning. There was also the fact that they looked extremely young. Someone could even mistake them to be in their late teens by the lack of blemishes on their skin. I had to keep reminding myself that they were not human. "Plus, we're helping him in return."

"Right… a free ride isn't much so I guess enjoy yourselves as long as we make it there before nightfall…," I answered glancing up into the sky. I could've sworn the sun hadn't even moved from that same spot in the sky since I'd left the bunker. It was almost like it was locked in place. "Or not… forget I said anything about that."

" _We_ appreciate the help, R5," Popola said, glaring over to her sister who merely smiled in victory. All I did was chuckle as I pushed myself off the REK-4 and tapped the side with my right hand.

"Let's get going BT," I said and the mobile platform engines roared back to life, following me slowly as I marched ahead. I quickly admired my handiwork strewn about the streets as I passed by.

"BT?" Devola asked while glancing down at the camera that seemed to follow her and Popola's every move. I had forgotten to mute myself. "Is this thing sentient?"

"Sure he is. Just a bit of a secret smart ass if you ask me," I grunted behind me, listening to the rocks being compressed under the heavy treads. It wouldn't hurt for them to know what BT was. Better now than later.

"Oh… so he can hear us?"

"Yeah…"

"So what is this thing? I've never seen anything quite like it. I mean it's nothing compared to those YoRHa flight units, but this is some pretty unique designs," Popola asked, leaning over so she could get a better view of the AL-Turret in the back which had returned to its normal scanning of the area motion.

"Information regarding mobile platform is designated classified. Fourth level clearance required to attain access to information regarding such topic," BT's voice suddenly sprouted from the speaker. I had seventh level clearance, being the highest tech guy on the ladder.

"BT, I assume?"

"Correct."

" _Pfft,_ are you sure you're not YoRHa? Secrets and classified info sure fits the bill," Devola sniggered glancing down at the camera that was now turned her way. "What?"

"Negative, affiliation currently lies with Cyster Corporations under Director Haslet," BT stated. Both girls glanced over to each other, neither familiar with the any of the mentioned subjects. I grunted and smacked the REK-4 with the sift of my fist, hoping he would get the silent message. "Do you require my attention, R5?"

"Quit spewing out all our secrets," I hissed. They could meet BT, but I didn't want them to know anything deeper. BT although didn't seem to mind.

"I do not understand. Knowledge regarding Cyster Corporations and the current owner remains common knowledge to the public. Clearance Level Zero," BT replied. I threw my hands into the hair with an exasperated sigh. The issue wasn't the security clearance, it was the fact that Cyster Corporations didn't _exist_ anymore now. How the hell do you explain to a bunch of androids that you work for a company that existed however long ago we'd been in stasis? Devola frowned at this as a result.

"Cyster Corporations? Like a company?"

"Affirmative. Cyster Corporations took part in a major portion of western arms-dealing and military research. Previously, the company was also formally operating as a simple trade company until a sudden loss of revenue due to a stock market crash," BT stated and I winced inwardly as both androids took in a sharp breath. All that info and it wouldn't take a genius to know the last people who had ever participated in such large scale trade.

"Cyster Corporations was a human organization," Devola finally whispered.

"Affirmative," BT confirmed before his camera lens turned towards me. I realized then that both sisters were now staring at me as well. I looked between Devola and Popola while continuing the walk, waiting for their responses. Would they turn hostile?

"You're a pretty old android, aren't you?"

…

 _What?_

"P-pardon?" I stuttered in surprise. Popola elbowed her sister viciously.

"You know it's rude to talk about an android's age like that," she berated, but I just stared incredulously at them. Apparently, the idea of me being human hadn't even crossed their mind. Were the existence of humans to far fetched that it wasn't even considered once they knew I was affiliated with them or even came from the age of humanity?

"This probably might sound really crazy but… I've been out of touch with recent events for quite a while…" I began, nervously rubbing a hand over the back of my neck and turning towards them so I was now walking backwards. "You wouldn't happen to know the last time humans were seen, would you?"

"Wow… no wonder you don't know what YoRHa is. Did you get powered on recently?" Popola asked earnestly, leaning over the edge to get a better look at me. I worried that she might fall right over, missing a leg and all.

"You could say that," I replied, referring to my recent awakening in the Stasis Compound.

"You really don't know what happened to them do you…" Devola said and I couldn't help but catch that slight hint of sadness in her voice. There was even… _pity_? Popola sighed and reached out from where she was so that a hand found its way on my shoulder as if she were trying to comfort me.

"5012 A.D… Earth was invaded by the Aliens where they unleashed The Machine life forms. A handful of them fled to the moon but… other than that, everyone else died out."

I stopped suddenly and the REK-4 halted as well to avoid running me over. Slowly, I turned around and faced them. They could not see through my visor, for it was only one way. That did not mean I couldn't see the remorse in their eye, and now I felt that it was still suitable for the situation. As realization after realization dawned me, I could only try to keep my breath steady while I licked my suddenly dry lips.

 _"_ _5012 A.D…"_

We went into the bunker on the year 2046 A.D.

"What's the c-current date...?" I seethed between my teeth. Devola and Popola both shared knowing looks before Devola took this answer.

"The year is currently 11,945 A.D," she answered. I slowly dropped to my knees, my legs giving out. Both females called out to me but I did not listen. What was I supposed to think? We missed our mark by almost ten thousand years.

How could that even be possible? By then the Stasis Compound would've fallen apart by age. BT shouldn't even be _functioning_ after such a long time. We could stay in stasis for far longer than a thousand years but ten? No, our bodies would've degraded by the five thousand. The people who designed the bunker told me personally. Because of that, protocol had been installed that by three thousand years, we would have to be pulled from Stasis with or without a suitable environment detected. At least, that's what they told me to believe. Could they have lied?

Ignoring the sisters, I switched off the external speakers on my helmet. There was something I had to know that I was sure they shouldn't hear.

"BT, standard protocol states that once a compatible environment possibly free of the White Chlorination Syndrome was detected, that there would be a _one year period_ wait while additional data was collected and extra confirmation that environment was not experiencing sporadic change before an Exploratory Team was deployed. If environment was deemed suitable by the team, the entire bunker populace would be taken out of stasis and begin colonizing, _correct?_ "

"Affirmative," BT said, his reply being the first thing he had said after he had gone silent. I gulped and tightened my fists into balls.

"How long ago was a compatible environment detected?"

…

"Unknown. Internal clock was disabled by Director Haslet for unstated reasons."

"But you did detect a possibly suitable environment despite that… so how the hell are you supposed to know one year has passed if the clock was switched _off_?"

"Due to no programmed alternatives, basic response dictates to wait until Internal Clock was re-enabled," BT said and I seethed a few curses. One year had passed a long time ago and BT's program led him to just wait for some clock to be turned back on. That clock would never be enabled because no one was alive or outside of stasis to do it in the first place. We'd been done in by faulty programming and a simple off switch. The three thousand year mark we were supposed to be pulled out due to safety precautions never came either.

The current and most logical theory: Humanity was wiped out by the White Chlorination Syndrome. Four of the five bunkers about a thousand years later exited stasis and began to colonize earth again. The fifth would continue to remain in stasis for another ten thousand years as human died out once more and fled to the moon.

I was going to kill Director Haslet the moment I got back the bunker.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry saving A2 for one or two chapters later. I still don't have the time to reply to reviews right now, so my apologies if I can't get to you.**

 **Why Popola and Devola? Well logically the first androids R5 would meet would of course be people who were or closely affiliated with the Resistance as they operate solely on the surface in contrast to YoRHa which is based in orbit. The two personally I felt would be very likely to quickly befriend R5. If you do not know the lore behind them, then I will just tell you that it has to be one of the most interesting.**

 **Their back stories leads them to be likely one of the few androids within Nier: Automata to have ever been in contact with humans, even if a great majority of them had been replicants. If what I know is right, they might've been one of the first androids to be developed. So if they believe R5 to have been an early android model, similar to themselves, don't you think something could be built on that? . I am actually not sure whether it is true or not, but I was told that the twin models underwent a memory wipe shortly have Project Gestalt failed. Either way, I found that the twins and R5 would be a perfect first contact for two reasons.**

 **1: The sisters are programmed to feel heavy guilt towards the extinction of the human race. Say they were to later find out that R5 was a human and well...**

 **2: I could've thrown A2 or 2B/9S at him, just like the other stories I have read. I'm kind of looking for a different take then the average human in Nier: Automata. The most obvious you would see was that this was not just "the last" human scenario but one of many who was tasked with sustaining the many other humans no matter the cost.**

 **I am unsure of the scene where he takes down the Goliath Biped. I wanted it to originally introduce a hidden conflict of him hearing voices, be it slow growth of insanity or a much darker affect on his mind, but I ended up feeling like I created a scene where I downplayed the Goliath Biped. In the game, they can get taken down rather easily by androids with just a bit more effort from the player required than the small enemies. This is a mere human though where a single crushing strike would shatter every bone in his body. Should he be able to take one down as easily as he did even if he used a plastic explosive and even had exploratory scans as a bonus so he knew where to plant the C4?**

 **SPOILER! Yes I know that there aren't any humans on the moon. So the theory R5 suddenly came to the conclusion of concerning the other four bunkers and how humans could've possibly survived past the White Chlorination Syndrome are obviously faulty on some points. It's as faulty as what the android believed.**

 **I do hope you enjoyed and see you next time when 2B/9S are introduced.**


	4. Chapter 4: Resistance

**AN: 2B or not 2B? How lame. How about 9S bigger than 8?**

* * *

 **Resistance**

* * *

When Devola had pointed out that I was a "Repair Unit" and that her sister was damaged, I promptly accepted that it would be nice to help her out. Popola was obviously upset with her sister for milking me of favors once more, but she was none the less grateful that I was willing to ease the pain in her systems. It was more that she felt a sting to her pride as _she_ was supposed to be a repair android and that this was her job. The only problem was that neither had the proper equipment on hand unlike a certain Cyster contractor…

Devola and Popola were apparently one of the few androids capable of full repair and recovery for androids of all types. I bet if they tried, they could've even repaired Machines.

Popola winced as I fiddled with her half leg.

"Sorry…"

I made another light tug and grinned in victory as my target loosened from the stump. Slowly, I withdrew the small tweezers from the inside of her left leg and held up the small piece of bent copper-like metal for both sisters to see. Apparently, it had been cutting further into her wiring as she had put it. A quick scan from my helmet and some additional info from both androids helped me figure out what the issue was and how best to remove it.

"Aren't you a pair of delicate hands," Devola drawled, earning a glare from her sister. I was much too occupied to really respond while I picked out another piece of shrapnel from the inside of her battered leg.

I found that despite being androids, their skin was surprisingly soft. Like a human, they were smooth and slightly sticky from the sweat that they had somehow produced through their artificial epidermis layer. It was in a way weird as I picked shards of metal cutting into her metal. She would get the limb replaced anyways, but Popola could feel every piece of shrapnel digging into her leg. Especially the pieces _inside_.

They were so human-like in their sensory abilities. Sight, hearing, and touch? I had to remember to ask later if they could also smell and taste. I wouldn't be able to understand how such senses could be created and detected by inorganic means. What were such sensations to programs and codes? Or were they wired in a different way, foreign to my own primitive understanding.

"So humans…" Devola hummed curiously. She was obviously enjoying me doing all the work rather than her. I dropped another shard of metal next to me before pushing the tweezers back into my satchel.

"What about them," I replied while revealed a large piece of wrap from my vest to apply to the leg. I didn't want the hanging pieces that I couldn't remove to catch on anything and tear something out. While the parts lost would be replaced anyways, Popola would feel the excruciating pain that followed. As I continued my work, Devola leaned in and frowned.

"You worked with a lot of them?"

"A lot is a bit of an understatement." I lifted Popola's leg slightly to begin wrapping. The more social of the sister wasn't hissing in artificially invoked pain anymore, seemingly more interested in what I had to say concerning the practically extinct race. "They were the _only_ ones I worked with. Have you never really met one before? Never in your entire time out here?"

"No, silly. They're all on the moon right now," Popola giggled before wincing again when I tightened the wrap. Devola eyed the turret mounted in the back and then the MARifle that was still locked to the side of the REK-4 we rode on while I finished up. Despite her use of melee based weapons, it seemed she was still familiar with fire-arms. "Finished?"

"All set," I confirmed, letting go with a satisfied grin that I had covered all exposed internal parts and that the wrap held together strongly enough. Slowly, I pushed myself over to the rear edge and let my legs hang over so I could watch the scene behind us: just an ancient city of our ruins. I wonder what the living quarters on the moon were like for the survivors.

I suppose this far into the future it would be possible that we'd at least be able to sustain life outside of Earth. Androids were a massive leap too, especially if they were this…

I glanced to the two sisters, one currently mothering over the other, much to Popola's irritation.

Who would've thought humans would create such complex mechanisms? I had half a mind to believe that if the aliens had not wiped us out that these androids would have surpassed us and done it themselves. It was an uncomfortable thought. I knew that they were programmed to have a desire to serve, but they also learnt and adapted in a mental sense. There was no way to tell how easily they might overcome any possible programs that prevented them from forming traitorous ideas. While I could find a possible friend in these androids, I could also find imminent doom at the edge of their blades.

Speaking of swords, those blades were beyond anything I had seen before. They were larger than the sisters' frames looked designed for and yet they carried them like a child holding his toy. I knew for a fact that they were heavy, especially when the hydraulics of the REK-4 groaned in protest when the weight had been added. These androids weren't just humanlike. They were stronger, faster, and more durable. Compared to them, we humans were soggy paper. That was likely why they were fighting on Earth while humans hid away like cowards on the moon.

Their swords were strong enough to tear through the armor of that Goliath Biped. The AL-Turret on the REK-4 was by no means a "light" weapon. It was known to tear through people and armor. While it had managed to blow a few holes in the armor of the Goliath's torso, it was soon blocked out by the massive arms with armor thicker than any tank Cyster had experience with, alongside or against. The weight the Goliath Biped must have to lug around was enormous and I found it hard to believe such little legs could sustain. Indeed the Machine variant was incredibly slow, but it shouldn't even be able to _stand_.

There were, as I had been informed by Popola, a great many variations of Machine life forms. I could guess basically that each machine was different but also similar in many ways. Each was built with at least one medium armored head in the form of a half sphere. Initial scans on the two deceased Machine corpses revealed that at the back of the head held a strangely heavily armored piece of plate that actually covered a critical component to the Machine's visibility and optics sensors. While maybe I could not cut through that armor with a firearm and even less likely with what limited explosives I had, I could fry it in the form of a high voltage shock to get to the circuits. A blinded opponent was as good as a dead one.

Another similarity was that both encountered Machines contained a sort of core, comparable to the heart of a human. Machines seemed to operate off of this core in a way that could mean destruction of such core would result in immediate cease of functions. An exploitation. They were armored to physical damage, but I wondered if once I got the REK-4 deployed that they might be open to hacking attempts by BT. Taking control seemed unlikely though seeing as an entire race of androids haven't seemed to accomplish this yet. It was worth a shot to look into later though.

But…

I heard voices during the engagement with the Goliath. I knew I was sure to lose mental stability after a long period of time without social contact and it was highly recommended that, if we were no longer able to sustain our mental capacity, that we humanize either a domesticated pet or inhuman objects. It's an actual thing where people draw faces on melons and talk to them. We may lose a bit of our sanity piece by piece, but the goal was to hold off the entire loopy land for as long as possible. Before, I had hoped that having BT around would be sufficient but this was obviously not the case. It seems said solution lasted less than a day. I prayed that these androids could serve as the solution to the human's natural desire to converse.

A hand press down against the shoulder plate of my O-Unit and I flinched in surprise. Glancing back, Popola was suddenly very close to me and staring deeply into my visor. If I weren't so heavily in thought, I would've asked Popola why she was moving around while she was missing one of her legs. She could tumble off any moment and not have her leg to support her as she collided with the old street.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly and I sucked in a breath.

"Should I be?" I murmured before looking back to the road beneath us we the REK-4 rolled through the streets in a soft rumble.

"Sorry, dumb question. I just want to know if you'll be fine. I know what it's like being all alone. You must've been really close to a lot of humans, huh?" Popola hummed, pulling herself up beside me and watching the road that trailed behind us.

"You shouldn't be this close to the edge," I grunted, slowly pushing myself up so I could get my boots on the ground. I'd been sitting long enough and I rather be on my toes when the next enemy came prowling by rather than on my ass and unprepared.

The android girl looked up to me in irritation for ignoring the question as her eyes narrowed. Both her arms flew around my own before I could get back up and she refused to let me go in petty defiance. She reminded me of a rebellious teenager.

"R5, you don't believe me?" she huffed.

"Should I?" I asked. No, more like spat.

As far as I knew, the entire human population died out and all I could do was help build a bunker to save half a thousand. Half a thousand to the billions lost made me realize just how minuscule my efforts were. What was the point if we couldn't even save a fraction? Cyster only saved a bread crumb of an entire bakery.

But then look how much went wrong already? We overshot by ten thousand years. I wasn't even sure if the other four had woken on their time. They _must've_ though. I had never heard of androids when Cyster went under. It was estimated that we barely had a few years before humankind was wiped out by the WCS and by that point there was no way androids, even primitive ones, could have been developed in such a short time.

Humans _after_ the WCS had to have built these androids.

Now they too were almost extinct. I took heart in knowing humans were still on the moon, but I had to do my job first before I even thought about contacting them. A building could collapse on top of the Stasis Compound any moment now and the only reason I wasn't dealing with it right now was because I was trying to get an idea of what the situation was out here.

A lot of people relied on me right now, and I hated BT's protocols for it. I should've at least been granted a dozen people to travel with me, but under my job description was maintenance _._ It was the only reason I was awake. Somehow dealing with the ticking time bomb in the form of a giant structure fell under that category. BT was only programmed to pull one R-Personnel when a maintenance level threat arose. That didn't mean I wouldn't gladly take the job. I would do it a hundred times over if it meant saving more lives.

"Forgive me when I say I don't," I told the android hanging onto my arm.

"R5, I'm guessing you don't know since you've been out of touch for a while but… do you really know what my sister and I are?" Devola huffed from where she sat, her giant sword resting in her lap. I glanced her way and shook my head. Was there something special about them besides being androids?

"As far as we know, we're the only other androids to have worked with humans before," Popola stated and I jerked back in surprise.

"You mean you're like me?"

"Well you see, we can't _remember,"_ Devola snickered, pressing one of her fingers against her forehead lightly. "What they told us was that our models had been in charge of human's _last hope_ or something. I personally think it was some contingency plan to kill off the aliens but…"

"But something went wrong," I guessed. It wasn't really even that wild of a guess. All I had to do was look around me to see the results.

"Yes… and while we can't remember much, we still always have this nagging feeling in the back of our head that there's something we need to make up for it, you know?" Popola breathed before tapping a finger against my visor lightly. I wasn't sure if the soft ding was the material of my helmet or the metal of her finger. "It's like we've been hardwired to feel _something._ Sounds familiar, doesn't it."

It wasn't a question. It was a matter of fact.

I was originally upset that we'd gone underground for so much longer then we should've, but thinking about it, wasn't it no different then what I had been trained for. We were supposed to be ready for a world devoid of humans. All humans had fled to the moon. As far as I knew, Earth's human population was now extinct.

And yet the anger still lingered.

"Do you know how many humans there were before I… was deactivated," I inquired. Popola and Devola glanced at each other before shaking their head. "Billions."

There was a stunned moment of silence, one that was only broken when Devola swallowed and bit her lower lip. I could guess that it wasn't common knowledge of how large the human population had ever grown to.

"Really?"

"Yeah… billions dead and I couldn't do anything to stop it? I mean the dismantling of the human race was staring us in the eye…" I nearly winced at my word slip but the sisters didn't seem to notice _"and no one was doing anything_."

"R5…" I heard Popola sigh softly

"I suppose you're right. I feel like I could've at least done something. So many gone… it feels like I didn't even try."

"Feel like you've got something to make up?" Devola scoffed, but I could tell it was the same for her. She had told me so.

 _"_ _R5, this unit would like to reinforce that you are allowed to refuse any secondary objectives that does not fall in line with the current objective,"_ BT suddenly stated, his speakers not transmitting outside of my helmet but I merely grinned back anyways. A quick button press muted my external speakers.

"As far as I know, we're the _last_ humans on Earth so I'll be damned if I sit back and relax after one simple job." Though they could not hear, I was sure the sisters could tell I was privately speaking through the slight nods of my head.

" _A four year demolitions job is not-_

"We're here," Devola stated as we rolled into a rather lumpy open field of grass.

I would make sure that once the internal clock was re-enabled and a year had finally past, that my comrades who would wake up to the world would not be greeted by psycho machines but a safe haven for humanity as we began our reclamation of what was once ours.

 **"** **Let's eat here, daddy!"**

I winced and shook off the headache.

/-/

The Resistance Camp wasn't really much. It was a fresh experience from the usual empty environment of the city we had marched through for hours still. I spotted at least a dozen humanoid figures strolling about near the entrance itself or scattered around the ruined buildings in the surrounding area. I was amazed by their numbers. Who knew how many of them were inside the _actual_ camp. One thing was certain though. None of these people were human. They were all androids.

There wasn't a lot I could gather from the small entryway on the outside of course. The issue with trying to march in with a large foreign vehicle and an individual unlike any who had ever been seen before was that you were met with very paranoid reactions.

 **"** _Hostility detected,"_ BT declared. I heard the REK-4's engine roar as if it were a tiger sizing up a smaller animal. The androids surrounded us quickly at speeds that I was unprepared for. Their legs were blurs against the ground. One could only describe the limbs as strong pistons of metal.

Swords were drawn at breakneck speeds, sometimes actually just appearing into existence in a flash of orange light. These swords were not always the same, some varying in terms of color and design. The androids themselves were, for a lack of better terms, rugged. Compared to the sisters, these fellows looked like actual fighters with their dirtied and tattered cloaks over their shoulders and the dirt covered clothing that covered their artificial body. No android held the same face, much like no human looked exactly the same.

"BT, take note that androids mainly use melee weapons. No identified ranged weapons yet," I said, checking twice that my speakers were not on.

Devola and Popola being with us were supposed to be our safe passage in but… I noticed that a large portion of these Resistance people had this sort of dark expression when they glared at the sisters. Was there something wrong with these two? Besides Devola being a bit fiery, they were both charming young women. _Androids_ , I had to remember they were androids still.

Their leader, who Popola had explained to me as Anemone, was shrouded in a stylish green cloak that fluttered in the wind. She had black soft hair and also had green eyes similar to both Devola and Popola. She wore heavy leather boots as well as several leather straps that pulled numerous forms of equipment to her form. She was, from appearance, a leader amongst the other rugged androids around us.

Right now, Devola was explaining to her the situation… well the situation that they'd come to the conclusion to.

The Resistance leader eyed up and down my form before approaching me with the fiery sister following behind her confidently. What was she thinking? Whether or not to kill me? Her strides were confident and, much to my embarrassment, actually intimidating in some form. When she stopped before me, she held out a gloved hand which I eyed cautiously. I had no doubt that a single strike from her would be strong enough to blow my helmet in and collapse my skull.

"It's a hand shake. From what I'm told, you should've worked with enough humans to know what that is," she offered jokingly, but I merely accepted it with a dry nod. I shook the hand that could so easily mash me to bits.

While still a lie, I forgot that the sisters would likely tell others that I had human experience. I had no way of telling the implications of such claim getting out. Nothing I could really do about it, seeing as I needed an explanation for my likely radically differing and primitive equipment. At least it wasn't my _actual_ race.

"Just surprised you know what it is yourself, for humans not being around for so long," I humored her. The android grinned back and waved me to follow her. I turned back to the REK-4 which was still under BT's control. The AL-Turret was aiming threateningly at anyone who dared approach it, like guard dog. "BT, please don't _shoot_ anybody."

The android leader smirked.

"Don't worry; they won't do anything without my permission. This way R5, assuming that's your real designation," Anemone called back to which I gladly followed after her. With the sister androids following close behind me, we entered through the front entrance where several makeshift walls were erected in place as defense holders. Further inside through a few holes in the walls of the large buildings, we entered a small open area.

The main hub wasn't that large if I were to be honest, but there was a back area that might be or lead to the rest of the comp. As of now, this looked like the main hub for Resistance members. Anemone walked over to what looked like her main command center.

There was a large tarp set up over a large wooden table with a large amount of papers and files. A large cardboard box sat underneath with numerous files sticking out. Further away from the table in the back were numerous terminals and boxes. A bunch of other machines ran with a soft hum in the back, but I was unfamiliar with them. All in all, the place was a rather tidy area compared to the rest of the city ruins.

Anemone stopped and turned towards me once she was within the area of her little command area and turned towards me her arms crossed, her cloak fluttering a bit.

"Devola, you have the Pod for our guest?" she inquired the redhead's way. She nodded and quickly headed off to likely where she had it stored, Popola leaned and limping against her as they left us alone. Well as alone as it could be. There were no walls and anyone could really listen in if they tried. The group leader didn't seem to mind as she turned to me. "They tell me you're a lot older than you look, but I have my doubts. Would you mind taking off your helmet for me? It's rude to not talk to someone face to face…"

"Warning: Protocol B-4 dictates that any personnel breaking surface remain isolated from external environment and remain within an airtight suit," BT warned me, to which Anemone also heard. He'd switched off his mute to make sure _she_ heard. The Resistance leader raised one of her eyebrows at me and the AI voice she heard from my helmet.

"This must be what Devola called BT. So you're not limited to the vehicle outside?"

"Apologies, this unit's basic capabilities lie under clearance level three. You are not authorized to such details," BT replied. I groaned and bit my lower lip. Sometimes I wanted to strangle that damn AI.

"Please forgive my friend. I've just learnt that he's not smart enough to turn on a _clock_ even if ten thousand years depended on it," I growled to which the android smiled lightly to.

"Negative, this unit is capable of operating several thousand times the speed of designation R5," BT replied. I was detecting an insult layered under that statement.

"BT?"

"Affirmative?"

"Shut up," I spat, turning to Anemone who was enjoying our little banter. "Unfortunately, I'm going to have to keep the helmet on. Otherwise, my friend would never let me hear the end of it. What is it you need exactly? We mean your people no harm. Just passing through here to retrieve that Pod, and we'll be out of your hair."

"Then you'd have no issue with a simple chat?"

"Don't see anything wrong with it," I sighed while rubbing the back of my neck nervously. I leaned back when she was suddenly moved much closer, her eyes peering into my visor. Personally, I was glad she didn't press me further to remove it. Yet it felt like there was no helmet between us as her eyes remained locked with mine.

"How many others are there of you?"

"Huh?"

"Androids. You were an early android who worked with humans. From what Devola told me, you're one of the _very few_ who's had experience with our creators. That doesn't mean they didn't make more of you."

"Well," I coughed, glancing away slightly. "as far as I know, I'm the only one."

"Your designation is R5. Does that not mean there are at least four others?"

"Let me reiterate _._ As far as I know, _I'm the last one_."

Anemone seemed taken aback by the sudden steel in my voice that I too was unfamiliar with. Who knew I could tell such bold lies. The Resistance leader furrowed her brows, making a scowl which I found to be impossibly advanced for an artificial creation. I had no idea how these androids were constructed to be able to produce such detailed facial expressions.

"A shame, I would've enjoyed having a few others to get their take on early humanity," she finally sighed before uncrossing her arms and rested her hands on her hips. "I'll give it to you straight, R5. I know you're as lost as a YoRHa scanner model in a jammer-zone. Devola says you're here to perform reconnaissance and gather info. My people are your best bet. There are, of course, areas that we are lacking in as of now… areas which you may be able to help with."

I nodded slowly in understanding, prompting her to continue. She wasn't just scouting my threat level. She was looking for an asset.

"Well you see, Devola told me that your… mobile platform as you informed her was capable of long range scanning and motion detection?"

"Yes," I stated, tuning out BT as he shot another warning of clearance level. He'd given me enough ass when I told the sisters about it in the first place. People forgot I was a technician, not a damn soldier. I didn't follow every little order I received and technically, I was still above BT until he gave directives that were designated directly by Director Haslet herself. Otherwise, I would gladly break any protocol some high-up chairman shat out.

Plus we needed friends. It was time I start letting a few details slip here and there just to ease these android's minds. "What of it?"

"As you might've heard, the Resistance cooperates directly with YoRHa on occasion," she began. No, I hadn't but there that name was again. That organization. I was eager to get that Pod to learn what they were specifically. "As such, they send us a constant update on the situation from the orbital bases."

"Orbital bases?" I questioned. That was new. They must have quite the resources to be able to sustain such resource heavy orbital platforms. Then again, their machines didn't eat or really care much for a life support system. They were androids after all, nowhere near as fragile as a human being in space.

Still, I mean that was crazy. _Orbital bases_. Last I heard, the International Space Station was the only thing humans had that could really be labeled as one.

"Yes, well most of their long range scans are preformed from their collection of satellites rather than the actual Bunker sitting up there. The only issue with is that jammer were deployed that have created numerous blackout zones within the city. On top of that, their current satellites are starting to wear down. Their reliability is waning. Time to time, they miss things and good androids perish because of it. From orbit, you can't see anything in the dark zones. On the other hand, at such close proximity, say from the ground you were to establish something like your…"

"You want access to the REK's data," I guessed to which she nodded in affirmation. I glanced outside to the mobile platform that remained motionless in the small alleyway entrance to the camp while several Resistance androids circled it curiously. "What do you say BT? We need some allies, don't we?"

"Warning: Given situation would be suitable to obtain beneficial relations, but possible drawbacks from Director Haslet may result in-

"I'll do it."

"Ah well I suppose if you accept, then please use this," she stated, reaching below the wooden table and retrieving what looked like a mini radar dish. The dish itself was probably about a foot wide in diameter. "Everything you send through this should get to us with no issues. Our long range communications are the one thing we have that actually works well enough as it is."

"We give you our collected intel, and you give us what?" I asked, eyeing the small device as if merely touching it would be the signing of a contract. The android hummed and tapped her chin with one of her slender fingers.

"I would gladly offer you any of our… deeper sources of info that we have. My people are everywhere and one of them is bound to always have what you need," she began before frowning. "But then that doesn't seem like much. There isn't anything specific you need? System chips maybe?"

I took a moment to think.

"Metal."

"Pardon?"

"I need metal: titanium, steel, cast iron, aluminum, copper," I listed before scoffing. "Hell, even depleted uranium if you have any. Got silicon or even gold if you don't value that, I'll take it. There's a lot of wreckage lying about so anything actually _metal_ I will gladly take as compensation. We can work out the actual numbers and a drop-off location later."

Anemone appeared confused by my odd request. I doubted many androids asked her for such substances. For me though, I would need every bit of it I could get my hands on. The fabricator needed materials to create. I didn't have a stable supply.

"We can… supply you with maybe a weekly drop-off of anything we don't need," she agreed.

"Perfect." I took the small device in my hand and examined the small wire that was wrapped up nice and tightly around the neck of the mini dish. "BT?"

"Identified wiring is compatible with the current RobCo terminal installed into the REK-4 unit," BT informed me. I sighed in relief. Seems some things were still similar ten thousand years later. I hooked the dish to my belt so that it was strapped securely to my waist. "Warning: Any attempts to infiltrate the REK-4 unit will result in immediate termination of designation Resistance as well as firewall countermeasures to be emplaced."

Anemone eyed me curiously as I groaned again. Always trust the AI to threaten our new possible allies with destruction that we were physically incapable of dishing out. If we pulled every last one of our resources from the Stasis Compound, I doubted it would be enough to take on these androids.

"I took no offense, R5. This BT individual seems most protective of his toys. He reminds me of a Pod actually," she chuckled before her eyes suddenly widened. Her gaze was no longer on me but directly behind me. "You're… 2…"

"You know 2B?" A rather thin and short boy asked shocked. Behind me stood two rather peculiar figures that obviously didn't belong.

The first was a girl? Woman? She stood nearly as tall as I and wore an pitch black outfit that hugged her frame's waist very tightly. Her skirt was fluttering like a cloak in the wind, showing off her exposed thighs and the dark leather heels she wore that covered all the way up past her knees. There was a rather delicate designed cutout around her chest area that showed off a rather large…

 **No.**

The boy was much shorter than the both of us. He wore a dark uniform the same shade of black as the girl android and donned a pair of pitch black shorts. At least he was wearing a pair of what I could assume were boots compared to the other girl's black heels. He had a strap going over his chest that connected a small satchel to his small body.

Both wore black gloves over their hands, the girl's being much smaller for her rather petite hands. What I also found unusual were the black blindfolds over their faces. They didn't seem to hinder their vision though as they could both clearly see well enough to walk into the camp and approach us.

Their skin was just like every other android I had come across as of yet: perfect and devoid of all blemishes. Yet while Devola and Popola were androids with the appearance of their early twenties and Anemone in her early thirties, these two were constructed with the appearance of teenagers. The boy especially held the title of the youngest appearance. The only reason his companion appeared older was due to the rather expressively mature portions of her body that didn't really seem natural for such young faces and complexions.

I also caught the blades floating behind them.

 _Floating_ …

There was some form of ring that followed their every movement and held the swords at their back. I also didn't miss the floating machines behind two, one for each. They were rather, dare I say, cute flying boxes with two small arms attached to their lower plates and three small tongs for fingers on each limb.

"Um… Yes, well the Bunker told me to expect you." Anemone answered nervously, knocking me out of my observations and thoughts. This Bunker must've referred to the orbital bases or at least the YoRHa command. She raised a hand to herself for emphasis. "My name is Anemone. I'm the leader of the android Resistance that controls most of this territory. You must be the new scouts we heard about."

"It's a eh… pleasure to meet you. This is 2B as you already know," the boy said, motioning to his comrade "and I'm 9S."

"It is a pleasure to meet you. We're just finishing up here and I'm sure my people will have plenty of information for you. Please feel free to ask them anything you like."

"Thank you," 9S said gratefully, bowing quickly to her. He eyed me with childlike curiosity before moving off with the girl following behind. All this time and she hadn't even said a word of greeting to the Resistance Leader. I watched their retreating figures, also taking notice of the exposed regions of 2B's back her attire revealed.

Whoever designed those androids must've had a thing for little boys and thighs.

"They're… from YoRHa?" I inquired, looking back to Anemone for answers.

"Yes, first time seeing them?"

"What's with the gothic get-up?"

"That's YoRHa for you," she answered before rubbing a hand over the bridge of her nose. I would have mistaken these androids for humans if they weren't constantly talking about new models. Still, looking around a bit more carefully gave notice to me that there were actually several more female androids clad in similar attire as 2B. While nowhere near as numerous as the Resistance, there was still a considerable amount around. "Speaking of YoRHa, I'd also like to let you know that any data we receive from you will likely also be sent up to YoRHa command."

"That's fine by me. Everyone here has a common enemy, right?" I asked to which she simply nodded in affirmation.

"Careful though, YoRHa's always been really serious about the importance of humanity. They may start bugging you once they learn you've got a track record working with humans," she warned, causing me to frown. I glanced back at the two new YoRHa androids who were conversing with one of the traders who was sitting cross-legged somewhere off to the side. I hadn't noticed until now but there were actually a few other androids around in similar black outfits.

"What's wrong with that? They have a vendetta against humans or something?" I asked, sneakily probing if they'd have any hostile intentions towards _me_.

"Quite the opposite actually. It's the same for us as well. We're all androids, programmed to serve humans. Now that there are only those left on the moon though… you don't exactly meet any these days. I heard that those up in the YoRHa bunkers haven't even met a human. I wouldn't be surprised if they started dropping by just too personally question you during their off time. You know, _to sate their curiosity_ ," she explained. I let out a soft sigh and grinned through my helmet. As long as they didn't have anti-organic tendencies, then everything would be fine.

"I wouldn't mind paying a visit on the moon myself actually. How do you even know they're still alive anyways?"

"They send these motivation transmissions down to the YoRHa bunkers sometimes, but we pick up on it a lot of times. I feel like maybe they want us to hear to maybe catch a glimpse of the glory," she hummed before grinning evilly. I watched as she slowly crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side slightly. "You know… maybe we could sit down and chat for a while, _get to know each other better_."

"Ehm?"

I saw the mischievous glint in the androids eyes as she stepped closer and tapped the plate of my visor with the tip of her index finger. She leaned in close, her mouth directly against my helmet audio receptors as she spoke.

 _"_ _And you could teach me all about humans, hmm?"_

"Humans?" I heard that same young voice ask excitedly. I turned back around and found 9S almost bouncing like an excited puppy as he came back over, apparently no longer looking to talk with the large burly android with several swords lying around him. 2B appeared unimpressed at the behavior of her partner who had suddenly abandoned their prior conversation.

"I ah… worked with them for a while," I said.

"Wow, you're pretty old," he breathed. I frowned and glanced down at myself. Of course, everything was concealed in body armor so there wasn't really any physical feature to see that apparently gave every android the idea I was an ancient being.

"I've been… more or less inactive for the last ten thousand years," I lied causally before holding out a hand to the smaller boy android. "They call me R5."

"R5? What does that stand for?"

"Repairm- _Repair Unit_ … I think. Never really paid attention to that part," I chuckled nervously, before looking to Anemone for help. She merely shrugged and turned back to her table where a small stack of reports were waiting for her. Luckily, my saviors came in the form of Devola who hurried back with a more broken version of those flying boxes the two YoRHa units had.

"Here's what you asked for," Devola told me as she put the broken remains into my hands. It was honestly just the box body. It looked like the arms had been ripped off and a major portion of the upper plating had been ripped out. There were scratch marks lining the entire Pod. I was also surprised to find a familiar opening for a plug. A quick glance confirmed that it was the exact same variant used by Cyster Corporate machinery. This was too good to be a coincidence. Ten thousand years and a plug hasn't changed?

"That's a YoRHa pod," 2B suddenly cut in, her voice strangely stoic.

"Recovered it while exploring the city a few weeks back. I didn't find any corpses so I think some YoRHa soldier was forced to abandon it," Devola explained to her, but 2B's attention was more focused on me as I plugged a small wire extending from the side of my wrist plate into one of the exposed internal parts. I visibly backed off when her hand went for one of the swords on her back, but she stopped when 9S put a hand before her.

"Hey, just let him have it," he hissed at her.

"Look, I'm pretty new around here. Just let me figure out what's been happening the last thousand years, please?" I grunted. 2B visibly cringed before she stiffly withdrew her hand away from the handle of her sword.

"It's fine 2B. There's nothing of great importance put on Pods anyways. Command knew that Pods could be destroyed and taken by The Machines so they only put what's necessary and common knowledge on there," 9S told her. It took that much to finally get her to loosen up and fully back off. She went silent again and returned to her calm lean posture.

"Download complete. Recommendation: Please study recovered material during free time," BT stated into my helmet so that no one else could hear. I unplugged the wire and handed the wreck back to Devola.

Anemone stepped forwards and gained my attention with a hum.

"By the way, where did you say you were going to deploy your… REK was it?" she asked. I glanced up into the open air above us and just barely saw the tip of the target skyscraper. I pointed to it and watched as she began to frown.

"R5, if you want that building, then you're going to run into a lot of opposition along the way," she warned.

I cursed and glanced at the rifle slung over the back of my right shoulder. I could kill a few machines with it yeah, but it took BT scanning for thin armor and a lot of running to take a single one down. I wasn't keen on taking my chances with anything more than one at a time and my explosives were severally limited.

"Recommendation: Request assistance from YoRHa or the Resistance…" BT suggested from the external speakers of my helmet. While 9S and 2B glanced around for whoever had said that, Anemone seemed to like the idea. Turning towards the two YoRHa unites, she held out a hand.

"R5 here has offered to allow both YoRHa and Resistance access to his personal… hardware. As you know, current YoRHa orbital scans are less than reliable and constant reliance on scanner models as yourself is a major strain on YoRHa forces. I know you two are here for recon, but how would you like to escort Mr. R5 here?" she asked them. Both units turned towards each other before glancing to their Pods.

"Assisting R5 to provide reliant intel concerning the city area for both YoRHa and The Resistance falls in line with current objects. Proposal: Assist R5 as an escort," 2B's pod stated, its mechanical voice reminding me a lot of BT's. Hopefully Pods weren't as annoying. I eyed 9S's pod as it floated closer to me as if it were unsure of what I was. I almost felt like it was dissecting me like I was a lab rat.

" _Warning: Foreign scanning detected, enacting Protocol-P8 counter measures_ ," BT stated in my helmet so only I could hear. 9S' Pod buzzed slightly before withdrawing like a child who had burnt himself on a stove.

Had 9S's pod just tried to scan me? Did he tell his Pod to do that? The owner didn't seem to notice, but I was sure his Pod would tell him all about it later.

"Well there you have. We're up for the job," 9S declared proudly before his eyes slowly returned back to me. There was an excited glint in his robotic eyes and I knew what was coming. "So… do you think you could tell me all about the Humans?"

"Oh boy…" I muttered under my breath before eyeing Anemone off to the side. "Awful lot of trust for someone you just met."

"You could say I have a good feeling about you?"

"That's a bit far fetched, don't you think?" I retorted. There had to be another reason.

"Oh?" she hummed. "Let me show you how _my_ trust works then."

I wasn't entirely sure what happened next. One moment she was there, the next she wasn't. There was something heavy pressing against the bottom of my chin.

"Uh," 9S let out nervously. Even 2B had tensed up and had shifted into a more combat-ready stance in reflex.

Anemone lowered her sword from my throat and her face appeared from behind next to my own with a devious smile. I slowly turned towards her and grimaced under my helmet. This android had no issues with squashing bugs. Better to not give her a reason to.

"Have we met an understanding?" she mused. Her sword disappeared in a small flash of bright light only to appear on her back. My hand unconsciously went up to my throat where I ran my hand across the newly added slit in the lower plate of my helmet.

"Y-yeah…"

* * *

 **AN:** I did not, in any way, have time to edit this. I've been really busy lately and it has been well over three month since I last updated and the final push to get this chapter out was when I got a guest review asking if I was okay. I'll also try to reply to as many reviews as I can before likely disappearing for another month or so. So here you guys go!


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